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Jean-Marc Hebert: L'Origine Eclatee
by Dan McClenaghan
Montreal-based guitarist Jean-Marc Hebert's third album, L'Origine Eclatee, sounds like something out of the ECM Records catalog. He is joined by trumpeter Lex French, bassist Morgan Moore and drummer Pierre Tanguay, forming a patient, subdued chamber jazz atmosphere that opens the first of the Hebert originals, “La Deteinte." The tune shimmers. Understatement is the plan of the day, though the force of the sound builds. Is this a haunting, like something trumpeter Arve Henriksen (no stranger to ECM) might create? ...
read moreMelissa Pipe Sextet: Of What Remains
by Hrayr Attarian
On the enchanting Of What Remains, her debut as a leader, Canadian saxophonist and bassoonist Melissa Pipe delightfully blurs the boundaries between jazz and western classical music. Pipe leads a cohesive sextet on seven of her haunting originals, on the theme of time, and an arrangement of Estonian composer Tõnu Kõrvits' “Puudutus." For instance, “La Part Des Anges" opens with Pipe playing the main motif on her airy bassoon, with support from drummer Mili Hong's effervescent beats. After ...
read moreMelissa Pipe Sextet: Of What Remains
by Dan McClenaghan
Montreal-based multi-reedist Melissa Pipe's artistic vision is fully formed. Her debut recording, Of What Remains, features a sextet which explores darkness with deep tones--Pipe plays baritone sax and bassoon here--by delving into temporality, the shifting of time and being, via chamber music reveries and jazz grooves. Noir is a word which comes immediately to mind on the disc's opener, “Complainte du vent," and its follow-up, “La part des anges." a pair of somber tunes which may evoke a ...
read moreKate Wyatt: Artifact
by Dan McClenaghan
At this point, in June of 2022, there is not a lot of internet chatter concerning Montreal-based pianist Kate Wyatt. Her website does not include a biography. But a trip to YouTube land reveals a bit of music from her debut CD release, Artifact. That may be all anyone needs in terms of an introduction. It is uncertain what can be learned from those “played with" and “performed alongside" nuggets that are common in new artist intros anyway.
read moreCODE Quartet: Genealogy
by Friedrich Kunzmann
Chordless or not, quartets tend to find a way around the necessity of vertical simultaneousness to create significant harmonies. With the Montreal-based Code Quartet it's the former variety of instrumentation, combining a vital rhythm section of drum and bass with two horns, much like Ornette Coleman's groundbreaking quartet or its logical continuation in the group Old and New Dreams. The music of Genealogy, made up almost exclusively of originals--hold the traditional “O Sacred head, Now Wounded," harmonized by Johann Sebastian ...
read moreSebastian Bailey: Ensemble de Magnac
by Jim Olin
Quebec-based composer-saxophonist Sebastian Bailey is primarily focused on chamber jazz on his latest EP, and his innovative ear guides each track. Ensemble de Magnac summarizes Bailey's creative vision quite well, especially his ability to create a diverse and engaging soundscape. The music on this release has a classic sound and the production aesthetics are solid, highlighting the natural chemistry between these talented musicians. The record's spotlight on chamber jazz allows the line-up to create a thick sonic fabric ...
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